“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
—Coretta Scott King
It was one of those days. Waiting at a red light, I was mentally rehearsing every scheduled second of my evening when I saw a speeding car approach. It crashed into the car in front of me, bounced into another car whose airbags deployed, and—at the same high rate of speed—disappeared into the distance.
I knew all of my plans were going out the window. When I stopped to check on the driver of the hit car, though, I found that I wasn’t alone. Other witnesses had pulled over; they, too, wanted to help. People at the corner business came out to offer aid, and a gentleman living on another corner approached to make sure everybody was okay. All of us—white, Brown, Black—had been strangers until this moment: a situation that felt like it belonged to all of us, and so we were being the help until help arrived. (It turns out that no one was hurt.)
As shocking as the event was, the collective decision to help didn’t surprise me. Buffalo calls itself the “City of Good Neighbors.” I think it’s less description and more self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s a rallying cry in times of struggle. Our mutual aid is both organized (like our shovel brigade!) and disorganized (but still effective). As often as I’ve been a Helper, I have also been the Helped. Here, as in many places, people make a conscious decision that when something happens, they will respond.
As a Unitarian Universalist, I believe this is what living a love-centered faith is about. I’ve found that the more I interact with my neighbors, the more I acquire a sense of belonging to, and ownership of, my community. Our mutual aid reveals how dependent we are on each other.
I believe that noticing things that need our attention, and then stopping to help, is a habit—a communal habit. Your actions make a difference, and other people’s actions make a difference for you. May all of us choose each other, choose our communities, and decide to show up.
Prayer
When crisis arrives, may we respond with caring; with calm; with clarity. May we root our actions in love when we show up for our neighbors. May we know that we are never completely alone.